Screening tests and vaccines are an important part of managing your health.A screening test is done to find possible disorders or diseases in people who don't have any symptoms. The goal is to find a disease early so lifestyle changes can be made and you can be watched more closely to reduce the risk of disease, or to detect it early enough to treat it most effectively. Screening tests are not considered diagnostic, but are used to determine if more testing is needed. Health counseling is essential, too. Below are guidelines for these, for men ages 65 and older. Talk with your healthcare provider to make sure you’re up-to-date on what you need.
Screening
|
Who needs it
|
How often
|
Abdominal aortic aneurysm
|
Men ages 65 to 75 who have ever smoked
|
1 ultrasound
|
Alcohol misuse
|
All men in this age group
|
At routine exams
|
Blood pressure
|
All men in this age group
|
Yearly checkup if your blood pressure is normal
Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mm Hg
If your blood pressure reading is higher than normal, follow the advice of your healthcare provider
|
Colorectal cancer
|
All men in this age group
|
Flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years, or colonoscopy every 10 years, or double-contrast barium enema every 5 years; yearly fecal occult blood test or fecal immunochemical test; or a stool DNA test as often as your healthcare provider advises; talk with your healthcare provider about which tests are best for you and when you no longer need colonoscopies (generally after age 75)
|
Depression
|
All men in this age group
|
At routine exams
|
Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes
|
All men beginning at age 45 and men without symptoms at any age who are overweight or obese and have 1 or more other risk factors for diabetes
|
At least every 3 years (yearly if your blood sugar has already begun to rise)
|
Type 2 diabetes
|
All men with prediabetes
|
Every year
|
Hepatitis C
|
Men at increased risk for infection – talk with your healthcare provider
|
At routine exams
|
High cholesterol or triglycerides
|
All men in this age group
|
At least every 5 years
|
HIV
|
Men at increased risk for infection – talk with your healthcare provider
|
At routine exams
|
Lung cancer
|
Adults ages 55 to 80 who have smoked
|
Yearly screening in smokers with 30 pack-year history of smoking or who quit within 15 years
|
Obesity
|
All men in this age group
|
At routine exams
|
Prostate cancer
|
All men in this age group, talk to healthcare provider about risks and benefits of digital rectal exam (DRE) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening1
|
At routine exams
|
Syphilis
|
Men at increased risk for infection – talk with your healthcare provider
|
At routine exams
|
Tuberculosis
|
Men at increased risk for infection – talk with your healthcare provider
|
Ask your healthcare provider
|
Vision
|
All men in this age group
|
Every 1 to 2 years; if you have a chronic health condition, ask your healthcare provider if you needs exams more often
|
Vaccine
|
Who needs it
|
How often
|
Chickenpox (varicella)
|
All men in this age group who have no record of this infection or vaccine
|
2 doses; second dose should be given at least 4 weeks after the first dose
|
Hepatitis A
|
Men at increased risk for infection – talk with your healthcare provider
|
2 doses given at least 6 months apart
|
Hepatitis B
|
Men at increased risk for infection – talk with your healthcare provider
|
3 doses over 6 months; second dose should be given 1 month after the first dose; the third dose should be given at least 2 months after the second dose and at least 4 months after the first dose
|
Haemophilus influenzae Type B (HIB)
|
Men at increased risk for infection – talk with your healthcare provider
|
1 to 3 doses
|
Influenza (flu)
|
All men in this age group
|
Once a year
|
Meningococcal
|
Men at increased risk for infection – talk with your healthcare provider
|
1 or more doses
|
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23)
|
All men in this age group
|
1 dose of each vaccine
|
Tetanus/diphtheria/ pertussis (Td/Tdap) booster
|
All men in this age group
|
Td every 10 years, or Tdap if you will have contact with a child younger than 12 months old
|
Zoster
|
All men in this age group
|
1 dose
|
Counseling
|
Who needs it
|
How often
|
Diet and exercise
|
Men who are overweight or obese
|
When diagnosed, and then at routine exams
|
Fall prevention (exercise, vitamin D supplements)
|
All men in this age group
|
At routine exams
|
Sexually transmitted infection
|
Men at increased risk for infection – talk with your healthcare provider
|
At routine exams
|
Use of daily aspirin
|
Men ages 45 to 79 at risk for cardiovascular health problems
|
At routine exams
|
Use of tobacco and the health effects it can cause
|
All men in this age group
|
Every visit
|